


Whatever The Cost

by Ace_97



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sports, F/F, Slow Burn, Tennis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-06-28 21:40:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15715614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ace_97/pseuds/Ace_97
Summary: 16 year old Kara Danvers has stormed her way through the qualifying rounds of the Australian Open. Ready to conquer the tennis world, she will do whatever it takes.Even if a green-eyed goddess stands in her way...or on the opposite side of the court in this case.





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One more point...

This was it. One more point and I would’ve done it. I would’ve done what I set out to achieve. The whole arena was silent. Everyone watching, everyone waiting-holding their breaths as my opponent prepared to serve on match point. I took one last breath and focused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so second attempt at writing a fanfiction- hopefully this one goes better than the last.
> 
> Next chapter (number 2) should be updated in the next few days (procrastination for the win!)
> 
> Not too happy with the first chapter but I was eager to post it before I could talk myself out of it. Any changes I make (if any) I'll update it. Major characters will be introduced soon. Just so you know, I plan this to be a slow burn, as much as it pains me to say so. 
> 
> Hwyl fawr,  
> :)


	2. The Start of Things to Come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Crocs are comfy"

2 weeks previously~

_ “16 year old, Kara Danvers has flown through the qualifying stages of the 2018 Australian Open and will face the 15 _ _ th _ _ seed, Dominika Markova in the first round. So John, what do you think of the qualifier’s chances in this tie? Markova has been in great form going into this…” _

I switched off the TV and sat staring at the screen, thinking. I heard a large crash and spun round, with the remote in my hand ready to launch at the intruder and found my rather clumsy agent, Winn, lying face down on the floor.

Laughing loudly at his misfortune, I walked over and helped the groaning man up. 

“I know I’m amazing but do you always have to fall down at my feet?” I asked Winn as he inspected his jeans, wincing as he rubbed his knee. 

“That comment was so funny that I forgot to laugh,” he replied sarcastically, “wait…why aren’t you dressed? You have an interview in 5 minutes!” 

I looked down at my clothes-a white tank top and black sweat pants and back up to his unimpressed face, “Urm…I am dressed?”

“It is your first live interview and you are wearing...that?” he asked, his face filled with disgust as he looked me up and down again.

“I have training with Alex straight after. We need to be ready for the doubles match on Tuesday. Alex has her first round match tomorrow too so it’s just a light practice. Plus it’s a radio interview Winn- not TV.”

“Sometimes I wonder why people see you as fashionable. The girl that lives in her sweats and crocs. That is not fashion, Kara- that is a crime!” exclaimed Winn, shaking his head as he crossed his arms and stared at her. 

“Crocs are comfy!” I argued, offended at the claim they aren’t.

“Three words- socks and sandals”

“What’s wrong with socks and sandals?”

“What’s right with them?”

“You wear cardigans all the time! We’re in Melbourne, in the middle of Australian summer time, and you’re in a cardigan! You can hardly judge my fashion sense Winn.” I huffed out as I crossed my arms, copying Winn’s stance. 

“Shush you. Now go- you’re going to be late for your interview. You know Leslie Willis does not like to be kept waiting. You do want to play tomorrow right? If so, best get moving Miss Danvers.” 

“Oh golly, I cannot get on Leslie Willis’ bad side! She has single-handedly ended careers,” I exclaimed as I quickly ran to pick up my phone and keys, “let’s go Winn!”

“Okay, okay, keep your crocs on Kara,” chuckled Winn as he hastily followed me out of the hotel room door.

 

**_Catco Live hosted by Lesley Willis_ **

“Good morning, and thank you for joining us live in Melbourne, Australia on this glorious morning. Today, we have a special guest joining us, 16 year old Kara Danvers who, yesterday qualified for the Australian Open winning all of her matches. Welcome Kara and thank you for joining us.”

_ Thank you for inviting me, it’s great to be here!  _

"So Kara, you whizzed through qualifying without dropping a single point let alone a game or set. How does that feel?"

_ (laughing) It feels incredible. I knew that I could make it through but the way I done it? Well, that’s the shocker!  _

“You won the junior singles titles at both Wimbledon and the US Open last year…what was that like?”

_ There are no words to describe it, it’s, urm, all the good emotions joined up in one big feeling! (laughing) It was a great experience though. Even just to be there and compete, winning was just a surprise in all honesty!  _

“Your first match is against Dominika Markova, who is seeded 15 th this year. What are your thoughts on her as a player? How do you think the match will go?”

_ I watched her match against Azarenka in the US Open last year and her forehand is amazing, it’s powerful- very powerful but she has her weaknesses and I’ll aim to use them to my advantage. Every match I try and go out there and have fun. I play every game as if it’s my last.  _

“Now, we have to ask you, what do you think of Australia so far?”

_ It is so amazing! The weather is fantastic, the people here are just so friendly and the food…well the food is just unbelievably delicious!  _

“All the teenage boys will want to know this, are you single? Or do you have a special person in your life right now?”

_ (Laughing and shakes head) No, no I don’t. At the minute, I want to concentrate on my tennis. I have plenty of time in the future to date, right now my focus is on my game and my family. _

“Michael Adamson recently won his first Grand Slam, as a fellow American are you feeling any pressure especially after the spectacular year American sport had last year?”

_ Urm…I think there’s a little bit of pressure especially after the Junior titles last year but to be honest, I don’t think people are expecting me to do well seeing as I’m only 16 and it’s my first main draw Grand Slam. But in every tournament, there’s pressure whether it’s from the public, the media, your family, or yourself. It’s how you deal with it that matters and that’s something myself and my team have been preparing for. Positive thinking is an important part of the psychological side to any sport. Most athletes will agree with that.  _

“Well on that note, it’s time to get your hourly news update. Thank you for joining us Kara. Best of luck for your match tomorrow!”

_ Thank you for having me, Leslie! _


	3. "I thought you had better stamina than that"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Team Danvers...

Vibrations travelled up my arm as I swung it upwards, the ball cleanly struck, the sweet spot hit perfectly. The ball shot across the court, arcing away from my opponent, and towards the right hand tramlines. My opponent dove towards the ball holding her racquet out in the hopes of reaching it.. The shot was perfect- right in the corner of the court, just out of her reach.

                 “YES! Match point! Potstickers on you tonight Alex,” I cheered and pumped my fists in the air. Alex groaned from where she was slumped on the floor. 

“I can’t believe you beat me- again.”

Laughing, I skipped over to her and nudged her with my foot, “that’s five times in a row now Alex. Anyone would think you were losing your touch. Maybe it’s time for you to hang up your racquet. Let the little sister take over.”

Pushing me away, Alex sat up, “laugh all you want. Victory will be mine in the end, my dear baby sister. Just wait and see.”

I pulled Alex up, both of us groaning from the effort. Practice had been a tough one. Both of us were excited for the start of the first Grand Slam of the year but also nervous for the upcoming matches. 

                   The Australian heat shone down on us as we made our way over to our bags. Alex chugged down her water as I took slow sips from mine. Keeping hydrated was crucial in this heat especially after a training session like ours. I chuckled as Alex tipped the rest of her water over her head, “well that’s one way to cool down.”

“Hot...too hot. Tomorrow is meant to be even hotter. How do Australians cope with this heat?” she grumbled, grabbing her towel to wipe the mix of sweat and water off herself.

“They’re used to it. You will too eventually.”

“Highly unlikely, Kara.” Pausing for a moment, Alex pushed the hair out of her face, “are you excited for tomorrow? You have your game plan all sorted right?” 

“Golly, I’m so excited Alex! This is what the goal I’ve been working towards since I was young. This is what they would have wanted. I wish they were here but I’m going to go out and make them proud. J’onn and I went over it this morning before practice. Aim for the corners, keep rallies short, make her run. She likes to play aggressively and force errors. Hopefully I can get a good start and get an early break. She’s a tough player though.” 

“She has a wicked backhand so watch out for that too. First round of a Grand Slam tournament- I’m proud of you sis. Mum is too, you know? Your parents would be too.” 

“Don’t get soppy on me now Al. I love you too,” I smiled, grabbing Alex to hug her tightly, “we’re going to smash the doubles side of it too. When does Eliza fly out?” 

“Carry on and I won’t be making it to the doubles match. Your hugs are a killer, Kara! If today’s session hadn’t killed me off enough, your hug has just finished me completely. She arrives tomorrow morning, she’ll be here in time for your match.” Chuckling, I let Alex go after one more squeeze.

“Shall we hit the spa?” Grabbing our bags, we made our way off the practice court. Waving at the approaching players who were taking their turn on the hard court. 

“With questions like that, this is why you’re my favourite sister.” 

“I’m your only sister, Alex.”

 

…

 

                  A loud “thump” echoed around the locker room as Alex closed the locker door, groaning loudly, “I can’t wait to have a massage. My shoulders feel so tight.”  

“Tell me about it- I need to loosen up for tomorrow.” I echeod her thoughts, my shoulders protesting as I stretched upwards, “a deep massage sounds so good right now.” 

After making our way to the locker room, we had quickly showered away the sweat and dirt from our training session. “The facilities here are out of this world. We’ve come a long way from the dirty public toilets back in Midvale, hey Kara?” chuckled Alex. “You used to run away from mum whenever it was time to get changed.”

“They were terrible! The bushes were a lot cleaner and that is saying something!” I exclaimed. Back when we were younger, Eliza would take us to the public courts for a hit. Sometimes, she would make us get changed in the toilets near the court. They weren’t the most glamorous of places, the cleaner was very rarely spotted doing his job there. He preferred to spend his time doing other things. 

                  We made our way through the locker room to the massage area, passing a group of players who sat talking on the benches. 

“Danvers! How you doing?” called one player.

“Arias? Long time no see. I’m great thanks- how have you been? How’s Ruby?” Alex made her way over to the group, eagerly reaching out to high-five a tall, brown-haired woman.    
“Ruby’s good, she likes to play me up. Typical teenage hormones. You ready for the tournament? Who’s this with you?” 

“Tell her I said hi- I miss the troublemaker. Kara here is nowhere near as fun,” teased Alex, poking me in the side. 

I swatted her hands away in protest, “hey- stop that!” 

“Oh it’s the younger Danvers. Congrats on the qualifying run. Your first match is tomorrow right?” asked the woman. 

“Hi…?” I hesitated, “yeah it’s tomorrow afternoon.”  

“Oh, I’m Sam. Sam Arias. Nice to meet you, Kara.” Sam held out her hand for me to shake, “I’m looking forward to seeing you play. Hopefully we both make it to the quarters. That’s where we could play each other.”

“And she’ll storm right past you Arias,” Alex teased Sam, “she’ll do Team Danvers proud!” 

“Hopefully she can do better than the other Danvers, hey Alex?” smirked Sam, “how long did you last against me? 40 minutes at most? I thought you had more stamina than that, Danvers.”

“Pfft- I do have stamina, Arias! You wish you could see my skills,” Alex replied.

“Well, maybe you’ll last longer in the doubles match then- if you get to the second round. You better do, Danvers. I want my rematch.” 

“Oh we’ll be there, and we’ll smash you Arias. Just you wait and see. Hope your partner is decent, you’ll need someone to make up for your poor skills.”

                    I laughed at how seriously Alex was taking this- she always was the more competitive one. “Golly, it’s like a tennis match right now with all this back and forth. Ladies, let’s stop with the trash talking now. We’ll see you on the court Sam. Let’s go get that massage, Alex. You still owe me potstickers too.” I pulled Alex away from the group despite her protests, leaving Sam and the rest of her group laughing between them at the conversation. 

“See you on the court, Team Danvers,” followed us to the spa.

....


	4. "This is My Time Now."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Calm before the Storm...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...update sooner than expected- relationship problems = no sleep for me!  
> Still not quite sure if I'm 100% happy with the writing so far but I'll keep working on it.  
> Minor updates to previous chapters where I've realised I've made mistakes- considering I'm a fan of tennis you'd think I'd get the location of the Aus Open correct wouldn't you? In my defense, things are crazy at the moment.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the update!
> 
> :)

“Match day is here, Kara Danvers. Time to show the world what your made of,” I whispered to myself as I stood on the hotel balcony, the Rod Laver arena in the distance. Looking up to the dawn sky, I grabbed hold of the necklace I never took of. “I wish you were here Mum. I wish you could watch me play, give me advice from your first match. I miss you. I miss you too Dad, and your bear hugs. I thought it would get easier but it hasn’t. Every day I miss you more and more.” I bit my lip and hugged myself, sitting down on the sun lounger as I spoke to my parents, hoping that wherever they were, they could hear me. 

                 Three years ago, our house caught fire one night. My Dad carried me out but he didn’t make it back after he’d gone back in to try and save my Mum. The house exploded before they could make it out. An accident, the reports labelled it. I don’t believe them though. One day, I’ll find out the truth about that night.  I can still picture the flames, feel the heat from the explosion, hear the crackling and roar of the flames. 

                  I grew up around tennis. My parents met on the tour when they were younger- they even played doubles together. Both professional players, they owned the courts throughout their careers, both of them becoming the best in the world. I have a lot to live up to, their names have gone down in tennis history but following in their footsteps feels right. Tennis is my destiny, as cliche as that sounds, I knew it from the moment I picked up a racquet.  This is what I was born to do.

“Hey, how are you feeling this morning?” came from behind me, Alex walking out from my hotel room, two cups in hand.

“I’m good, just watching the sun rise. Is that a tea? Thank you, how did you sleep?” I asked as Alex passed me one of the cups, sipping it I let out a relaxed sigh, “just what I need. You can’t beat a nice brew first thing in the morning.”  

“Of course it’s a tea- you think I suddenly don’t know you? Tea is your obsession. Personally, I think you drink too much of the stuff. I can’t stand the taste of it,” replied Alex, taking a large mouthful of coffee, closing her eyes as she savoured the bitter flavour- she drinks it black okay? 

“Your coffee is a reflection of you- bitter,” I commented back, offended at the thought of drinking too much tea, no such thing existed in my books. 

Smirking at me, Alex replied, “bitter like my soul. Just how I like it.”  

“How are your shoulders this morning?”

“I’ve never felt as relaxed as I do right now. That massage worked wonders on my body,” Alex groaned happily as she stretched out on the other sun lounger. 

“I’m sure she did,” I giggled thinking about Alex and the masseuse from last night, “the noises from your side of the room had me questioning her techniques.”

“She was good with her hands, that’s all I’m saying,” Alex proudly stated, eyes shining with mischief.

“Alex! Ewww! Too much information!” 

“Jealous little sister?”

“No way!” I protested.

“Yeah, yeah. You shouldn’t be thinking about that kind of stuff anyway. Not until you’re at least 30. Any younger and you won’t be leaving the house ever again, you understand?” 

“Pfft- yeah right Alex.” 

                    Putting her cup down, Alex reached over and flicked me, “anyway, why are you up so early?” she questioned.

“Couldn’t sleep. I didn’t want to miss the sun rise. We used to do this on their first days of Grand Slams, you know? Get up early, go sit and watch as the sun rose in the distance, just spend time together before the tournament got crazy.” Tears threatened to fall, biting my lip I admitted, “I miss them Al.”

Alex squeezed onto my sun lounger to cuddle me to her side, “oh Kara, they miss you too. They would be so proud of you, of the person you are today, how strong you are. I know wherever they are now, they are watching you, they’ll always be with you. They loved you so much. People say how tennis is their big legacy, how their careers will never be forgotten but you, Kara- YOU are their greatest legacy. Never, ever forget that, okay?” 

Alex held me as the tears finally escaped, held for far too long. “I’ve got you Kar, I’ve got you. Today, you’re going to go out there and you’re going to give it all you’ve got. You’re going to show them what Kara Danvers, no, what Kara Zor-El Danvers is made of. You got that? You give it your best and leave everything on that court. We’ll be here for you whatever happens. Your parents, your family, will be proud of you whatever the result is.” 

“I love you Al,” I sobbed. Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself, “we’ve got this Al. We’re going to smash this. I can feel it, this is our time.”

“Team Danvers are here to slay, little sis!” Alex cheered, “you want to go for a quick swim before we go meet Mum for breakfast?” 

“Can I wear my shark hat?” 

Rolling her eyes, Alex sighed, “you and that shark hat. If you wear the shark hat, you can’t wear your crocs.” Negotations were Alex’s second talent. 

                      Protesting loudly, I followed Alex back into the hotel room to pick up our swimming clothes, “why does everybody hate crocs? They’re comfy!”  

“They’re disgusting, Kara. You’re lucky I haven’t set fire to yours yet”

“Don’t you dare!” I gasped, “I’ll tell Eliza about Vegas!” 

“What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, you know that Kara! That’s the rule of Vegas!” she argued back, “you promised you wouldn’t tell anyone.”

“Well don’t set fire to my crocs and Eliza won’t find out,” I bargained. 

“Fine. Your crocs are safe...for now. Now let’s go swimming.”

Putting my shark hat on, I ran past Alex and out the hotel room door, “let’s go!”

Shaking her head as she followed me, Alex grumbled, “what did I do in a past life to get a sister as crazy as you?”

                        After a relaxing swim, Alex and I made our way into the city to meet Eliza who had arrived early that morning. She tried to come to as many tournaments of ours as she could throughout the season but her busy schedule as a scientist meant it wasn’t as often as she would have liked. We made our way to the cafe that we’d arranged to meet Eliza in. As we entered, the scent of coffee hit me, straight away I felt peaceful. The atmosphere was calm, a stark contrast to the morning rush outside. I took a deep, calming breath. Today was going to be a good day.

                        Alex spotted the blonde hair of Eliza over in far corner booth. She waved as we walked over, “girls! I’ve missed you!” Eliza pulled Alex into a hug first, “you look well, my darling. How are you feeling?” 

“I’m good Mum. Hungry though.” Alex quickly hugged Eliza back, no one could escape Eliza and her hugs. She directed Eliza to me, “Kara, you look like you didn’t sleep much- are you okay?” 

“I’m fine Eliza. I was up early watching the sun rise. Oooh, tea! Thank you!” I eagerly snapped up the cup of tea, downing a large portion of it straight away, moaning as I savoured the sweet taste, “I love tea.”

 

....

 

Breakfast flew by, and soon it was time for a quick practice and warm up before my match. We made our way over to the practice courts where we met up with our coach J’onn, and our manager, Winn. 

“Morning ladies,” greeted J’onn. “It’s just a quick, low intensity practice today. Kara, you’re going to work on putting your game plan against Markova into action. Hit the ball hard, hit it deep. Make her run. Alex, your game plan is short balls, switch up the play, make her run too. Okay?” His words were calmly spoken despite his commanding presence. 

“Morning boss” I eagerly returned, “let’s get started Al.” I jumped up and down on the spot, excited to play.

“Okay, okay, I’m ready,” replied Alex, picking up her racquet and taking her place on the opposite side of the court.

“Alex- you serve first,” called J’onn.

The serve was hit perfectly, flying across the middle of the court, heading down the centre line. I rushed across the court to return it, hitting a backhand deep to the baseline. Alex’s return had me rushing to the left, a cross court backhand close to the opposite tramline meant the first point was mine. “Oh, today is definitely going to be a good day,” I thought to myself, smiling as I got into position to return the next serve. 

Practice ended shortly after so that both Alex and I could go to the locker room to change for our matches. Alex’s match started just before mine but she was on one of the outer courts. Her opponent was going to be tough, and not just because of her skill. “You looking forward to seeing Sara again Alex?” I teased as I wrapped blue grip tape around the handle of my bright red racquet. 

Packing her bag, Alex rolled her eyes at me, “of course I am. Ecstatic to have an ex hit a ball at me repeatedly. I knew I should have taken James up on his offer of the goalkeeper kit from when he played hockey.”

I laughed at Alex’s misfortune, “that’s what happens when you sleep with someone on the tour. There’s always going to be a chance you could play against them in the future.” 

“Wish me luck, Kar. I’m going to need it.” she replied, standing up and tugging her bag onto her back.

“Good luck, Al. You’ll do great! I believe in you. Team Danvers- here we go!” I cheered, holding my hand out so we could do our secret Danvers handshake. It was our tradition before every match to do it.

“Thanks Kar, good luck for your match. Team Danvers!”

Shouting after her as she walked out of the locker room to the showdown with her old flame, “go Alex! Don’t let Sara bruise you too much!”

I sat down and let myself focus on winding the tape around my racquet. The movements calmed me, my mind zoned out from all the noise of the locker room, switching on to match mode- I was ready. I didn’t have long to wait until my match so I triple-checked all of my supplies. Banana? Check. Drinks? Check. Notepad with game plan in? Check. Towel? Check. Mum’s necklace? Check. Spare kit? Check. Spare racquets? Check.

All prepared. “Kara Danvers Zor-El is ready for you, Australian Open.” I smiled to myself, “But are you ready for me, Australia?”

Just before the match, a court supervisor came over to escort me. As we approached the court, I could feel the atmosphere- it was electric. I could hear the music, the crowd as they got ready for the match, eager to see what the tournament would bring this year. I stood behind my opponent near the court entrance, both of us waiting for the go ahead to walk out. With a nod from the court supervisor, we both walked forward. “This is it,” I whispered, a grin on my face as I stepped onto the court, the cheers of the crowd grew even louder as we made our way to our chairs. Approaching the net where my opponent and the umpire stood, I shook both of their hands as the umpire explained what would happen. Markova won the coin toss and elected to serve first. Looking up at the sun, I quickly decided which end of the court to start on. 

“Let’s have a nice, clean match ladies, okay?” encouraged the umpire before she made her way to her chair. After a short warm up, we both sat down and waiting for the umpire to call the start of the match.

I got down into position, as Markova prepared to serve her first ball of the tournament, taking a deep breath, I focused. 

“This is my time now.”


End file.
